The style of these Champion Matchboxes & Prints was inspired by the old cigarette cards of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Cigarette cards were trading cards that were included in cigarette packages to advertise cigarettes as well as stiffen the paper packs. These little cards were usually printed using early lithography and they are often very sophisticated, beautiful little pieces of art.

The subject matter of these old cards ran the full gamut and depicted all kinds of motifs. Animals, plants, actors, actresses, sports, celebrities, political humor, costumes, idioms, and just about anything else you can think of from popular culture was turned into a cigarette card.